Lucky One
by stephandhhh123
Summary: Stephanie is poor and working in a coffee shop. Paul is rich and runs his own company. Will their two different worlds be able to collide? Can they survive with someone trying to split them up?
1. Chapter 1

Stephanie was sprawled out on her old, worn couch thinking about everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. She and Paul had finally had sex after a month of dating. It was mind blowing. He made her feel things she never had before. Her feelings for him were strong, but what happened afterwards changed everything.

_LAST NIGHT_

Lying in his arms as they slept in the hotel room, she was woken by his phone ringing. Not wanting it to wake him up, she grabbed it from the nightstand to silence it only to find a picture of him and his _wife_ on their wedding day, identifying who the caller was. Setting the phone back on the nightstand, she clenched the white bed sheet to her naked body and slid out of his arms. Quietly getting out of bed, she grabbed her things and left.

_PRESENT_

She couldn't believe he was married. All the times he came into the coffee shop where she worked, he never had a wedding ring on. He even made the first move by asking her out. They had talked on the phone pretty much every night for a month and went on a few dates. This completely blindsided her. Just when she thought she had caught a break and found a great guy.

Sighing, Stephanie rolled onto her side. She never even thought a guy like Paul would ask her out. He was rich and successful and she was poor and working in a coffee shop. They were from very different worlds. But none of it mattered anymore. She wasn't going to be with someone who cheated on their wife and lied. That's not the kind of man she wants to be with.

Deciding its best not to talk to Paul anymore and move on, she turned off her TV and made her way to her small, cluttered bedroom. A good night's sleep is what she needs tonight, especially with a long shift tomorrow.

* * *

Paul made his way down the busy sidewalk towards the coffee shop. He hadn't spoken to Steph since Saturday. She was ignoring all his phone calls and text messages. Crossing the street, he still couldn't think of anything he had done to upset her. Saturday night had been perfect. They had dinner, talked, drove around town in his limo, and then when things got heated they checked into a hotel and took their relationship to the next level. The sex was absolutely incredible. Best he has ever had hands down. She was amazing. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

Finally reaching the coffee shop, he smiled seeing her behind the counter. Opening the door, he breathed in the strong aroma of coffee and made his way to the end of the line. He watched as she took orders and made drinks. Her long brown hair was back in a curled pony tail and she had on her dark green work shirt and blue jeans. She always took his breath away. It didn't matter what she was wearing.

Reaching the counter, one of the other girls took his order and he stepped aside and waited for his latte. After a few minutes, the blonde that helped him earlier handed him his coffee and he went and sat at his usual table in the back. He wasn't leaving until he talked to Steph.

With the rush taken care of, Steph distracted herself by cleaning a few machines. The longer she avoided Paul the better. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw him reading the paper and drinking his latte. He had on a very expensive looking navy blue suit and his long, blonde hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail. Feeling the butterflies in her stomach she looked away and finished cleaning the machines.

"Steph, will you wipe down the tables please?"

Nodding her head, she reluctantly grabbed a wet cloth and started to clean off the tables. She could feel his eyes on her. Avoiding the tables close to him, she moved to the deserted ones on the other side of the café. Hearing someone coming up behind her, she closed her eyes as she felt his hand on her lower back. His breath on her ear made her knees weak.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Shaking her head, she moved away and pushed some chairs into the tables. Following her, he put both his hands on her waist and gently turned her around so she was facing him. "What'd I do Steph?" His pleading, confused eyes made her feel a tinge of guilt, but remembering why she was ignoring him made the guilt go away. "You're fucking married Paul. Just leave me alone." She stepped away from him and hastily wiped down the remaining tables.

Paul stood frozen to the spot. _How did she find out?_ He was planning on explaining everything to her this weekend, but it looks like he is going to have to do it tonight. This was not the time nor the place for this conversation. Walking back to his table, he grabbed his things and headed to work.

* * *

Stephanie sighed as she heard someone knocking on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone tonight and planned on just lying on the couch and watching one of her four movies. Getting up, she headed to her brown front door and opened it to see Paul standing on the other side. He was wearing a black t-shirt that showed off his muscular chest and arms and a pair of blue jeans. She took in the gorgeous man in front of her as she waited for him to speak.

"Hey, can I talk to you please?"

As she thought about it, the smell of his cologne entered her senses, causing her knees to get a little weak. No man has ever had this effect on her before. A simple smile made her want to jump him right then and there.

"Please Steph."

Giving in, she nodded her head and allowed him to come inside. Closing the door, she nervously watched as he took in her small apartment. She had very little and was barely getting by.

Paul looked around, shocked. He knew she didn't have much money, but he didn't know things were this bad. Looking to his left, he saw what must be her living room. There was a very old couch sitting in the middle of the room, a small TV that looked like it was from the 90s sitting on a small plastic table up against the cracked wall, and a few movies stacked in a neat pile next to the TV. Turning to his right, he saw a very small kitchen consisting of a small counter with a few cupboards above and below it, a small oven on one side of the counter, and a very old fridge that didn't look like it worked on the other side. Further down the narrow hallway, he saw two doors that were most likely a bathroom and a bedroom. Paul felt sick to his stomach seeing what kind of place she was living in. No one deserved to live in these conditions, especially not Steph.

Turning around, he met her eyes for a second before she looked away and headed into the living room. He followed her and took a seat next to her on the couch. Sinking into the cushions, he turned so he was facing her and just looked at her for a few seconds. She had on a white tank top and red shorts. Her hair was in the same pony tail as this morning. Hardly wearing any make-up allowed her natural beauty to show.

He cleared his throat. "I was going to tell you about my situation this weekend, but since you somewhat already know I decided to do it tonight." Steph looked at him confused. "Your situation? You're married Paul. That's all there is to it." He shook his head. "No it's not. I'm legally married yes, but I'm not really." Stephanie starred at him absolutely lost. "What the hell does that mean?" Paul sighed. "Long story short, I married my best friend so she wouldn't be deported to Canada. We live in my house, she has the basement and I have the upstairs. We've been married for three years as of last week so she can finally apply for citizenship. Once she gets everything worked out we can get divorced a little while afterwards."

Stephanie sat in silence, taking everything in. "So you guys aren't in an actual relationship or anything?" Paul laughed. "No. She's actually dating someone and has been for over a year." Stephanie felt relieved. She really liked Paul. This last month had been amazing and for the first time in a while, she felt happy.

"Are we okay now?" Paul watched her, trying to read her expression. Smiling, Stephanie moved closer to him and cuddled into his muscular body. "As long as you don't have any more big surprises, we are fine." Kissing her head, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as he could. "I don't. I promise." Leaning up, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Do you want to watch a movie?" Looking into her beautiful blue eyes, he nodded his head. Standing up, she picked out a movie and put it into the VHS slot on the TV. He stretched out on the couch, lying on his side so there was room for Steph to lie next to him. She snuggled against him and turned the volume up a little with the remote.

A few minutes into the movie, her stomach started to growl. Paul laughed. "Someone's hungry. I can make you a sandwich or something if you show me where the stuff is." She shook her head. "I'm okay." Paul leaned up onto his elbow so he could see her better. When her stomach growled again, he smirked. "I'll go make you something." He got off the couch and walked the short distance to the kitchen. "Paul I'm fine." Standing up, she followed him.

Opening the fridge, Paul saw what he was afraid of. It was empty except for a water bottle and an old banana. He closed the door and opened the freezer. Empty. Moving to the cupboards, he opened all of them only to find a few plates and a few cups.

Turning around he saw her leaning up against the door way with her arms folded under her chest. "I get paid on Friday." He sighed. "Steph, that's three days away." Shrugging, she looked down at her feet. "I get a free muffin every day at work."

Shaking his head, he took out his cell phone, and scrolled through his contact list until he found the one he was looking for. "What are you doing?" Walking over to her, he slid an arm around her waist. "What kind of pizza do you like?" Hearing her stomach growl at the mention of pizza, she smiled. "Meat lovers."

* * *

Paul laid in bed wide awake listening to Stephanie breathe as she slept on his chest. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the empty fridge in Steph's kitchen. Slowly moving so he didn't wake her up, he grabbed his phone from the cardboard box next to the bed. He typed his message with one hand and hit send. Feeling a little bit better, he put his phone back down and snuggled into Stephanie.

He woke up a few hours later to his phone beeping, signifying he had a text message. Picking up his phone, he smiled at the message and sneaked out of bed without disturbing Steph. He slid his jeans on and shut the bedroom door behind him. Walking to the front door, he unlocked it and opened it to find his car driver/right hand man Joe walking up the side walk carrying lots of grocery bags.

"Hey Joe. Did you get everything?" Nodding, Joe walked up the cement steps and into the apartment. "I did. Where would you like these?" Paul closed the door and led him into the kitchen. They put everything away making sure not to be too loud. "Wow. She only had one old banana and a water?" Paul nodded. "We ordered a pizza last night and she ate quite a bit. I never asked how long she'd been without food." Joe looked around the small apartment. He hasn't known Steph for very long, but it killed him to see her living like this. Paul patted Joe's shoulder recognizing the look on his face. "I know. I feel the same." Joe looked at Paul and noticed how tired he looked. He had a good idea why he hadn't gotten much sleep. "Well if you need me to do anything else just let me know." Paul walked him to the door. "I will. Thanks Joe."

After locking the door, Paul went back into the bedroom and laid back down. The sun wasn't even up yet so he was going to try and get some more sleep and then talk to Steph when she woke up. Cuddling with Steph, he closed his eyes and drifted off.

* * *

Stephanie stirred as the alarm on her phone started to go off. She grabbed it and turned it off. Looking at Paul she noticed he was awake. "Hey." He smiled as she kissed him. "Hey. Is it time to get up?" She shook her head. "Not yet. We still have a few more minutes." Pushing himself up, he scooted back against the headboard and pulled her into him. "Did you sleep good?" Resting her head on his bare chest, she pulled the covers up. "I did. Did you?" Paul kissed the top of her head trying to decide what to say. When she didn't get a response right away, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. He looked tired.

"I need to talk to you about something." Steph sat up so she was against the headboard and waited for him to continue. "I couldn't really sleep last night because I was worried about you." Steph put her hand on his cheek and rubbed if affectionately. "I'm fine." Looking into her eyes, he could see she wasn't. "No you're not. You had no food and weren't going to be able to buy any until Friday." Steph looked down, upset that her problems had kept him awake. Hooking his index finger under her chin, he lifted her head back up and saw her tear filled eyes. "Hey, don't cry. I want to help you. You mean a lot to me and I need to know you have all the necessities." She nodded as a tear slid down her cheek. Paul wiped it away. "Don't ever be afraid to ask me for anything. Okay?" Looking into his hazel eyes she could see how serious he was. "Okay." She placed a kiss on his lips and smiled. "I think I need some food." Paul laughed, happy to see her smile. "Already taken care of beautiful." Tilting her head to the side, she looked at him confused. "Come with me."

Paul led her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, freezer, and cupboards he showed her the supply of food. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I had Joe grab a few different things." Stephanie stood in silence. Her kitchen has never been this stocked before. Knowing Paul had done all of this after they had gone to bed made her feel bad. Looking down at her feet, she tried to hold back her tears once again.

"Hey, talk to me." Moving to where she was standing, he lifted her head up and saw a few tears fall. "I'm sorry." Paul used his thumbs to wipe them away. "Sorry for what?" Sniffling, she wrapper her arms around his waist and played with one of the belt loops on the back of his jeans. "That I kept you up last night." Ashamed and embarrassed, she diverted her eyes to a spot on the wall behind him. "Steph, look at me." Slowly moving her eyes back to his, she took a deep breath. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I couldn't fall asleep until I knew you had food to eat. That's just who I am." He leaned in and kissed her lips. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he rested his head in the crook of her neck and hugged her.

They stood there for a few minutes, holding each other. Shifting so his forehead was pressed against hers, he moved his nose back and forth against hers making her smile. "Do you need anything else? Like toiletries and what not?" Thinking about it she nodded her head. "Yes." He kissed her again, happy she told him the truth. "Okay, make a list of what you need and I'll take you shopping after work." She smiled. Looking at him, she realized this was the first time she's felt cared for and happy since she was a kid. Sleeping in his arms last night made her feel safe, something else she hasn't felt for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Stephanie sat on her couch, waiting for Paul to come and pick her up. They were having supper at his house tonight and she was going to meet his "wife" and her boyfriend. She was a little nervous about meeting her, but it was going to happen sooner or later.

Hearing a car door shutting outside, she stood up and grabbed her small, black purse. A few moments later there was a knock on the door. Steph smiled as she opened it and saw Paul on the other side. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white polo shirt. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail like usual.

"Hi gorgeous." Paul leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. "You ready to go?"

Steph nodded her head. "Is this outfit okay?"

Her slight blush from his compliment didn't go unnoticed. This was something she did a lot and he found it very cute. He looked over her outfit and smiled. She had on a pair of jeans and a simple red form fitted t-shirt. Her long brown hair was down and curled. "It's perfect babe. You look beautiful."

She smiled as she blushed a little more. "Thank you. You look good too." Stepping outside, she pulled the brown door shut and locked it. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the car. Opening the door for her, they both slid into the back seat of the black SUV. "Hi Joe. How are you?"

Looking into the rearview mirror, Joe smiled at Stephanie. "I'm good Steph. How are you?"

"Good, thanks." After buckling her seat belt, she cuddled into Paul's side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. The ride was enjoyable and before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of his house.

The house was big and very nice looking. It had white siding and the windows and front door were bordered by a dark brown siding. Attached to the house was a three car garage that looked exactly like the house with the dark brown siding bordering each garage door. Having a main floor and basement, the house wasn't big vertically, but it was big horizontally. The freshly cut, green yard made the house look even better.

Seeing the outside made Stephanie wonder what the inside looked like. This was her first time being at his house in the two months they have been dating. They had taken things slow the first month and after he found her house with no food the first time he came over, he has been over a lot. Which isn't a big deal because she liked him being there. Sleeping in his arms makes her feel safe. But Paul shouldn't have to always be at her place, especially when he has a very nice one of his own.

Paul wrapped his arm around her waist and led her up the side walk to the front door. He unlocked it and pushed it open so she could go inside. Shutting the door behind them, he watched her as she looked around.

They were standing in a very nice living room. There was a black leather couch set, a big flat screen TV attached to a glass TV stand facing the couches, and a nice in-table in the middle of the room. The hard wood floors were beautiful and well taken care of. Pictures were displayed on the walls and on the TV stand. The living room led to a dining area with a large oak table in the middle. A little to the right of the dining room was a staircase that led downstairs. Further to the right was a huge kitchen equipped with all Kenmore appliances, an island in the middle with three lights hanging from the ceiling above it, granite counter tops, and stained wood cabinets both above and below the counter. On the other side of the kitchen was a white door that led to the garage.

It was absolutely beautiful. Paul definitely has great taste. Turning towards him, she gave him a warm smile. "You have a beautiful house."

Eliminating the small distance between them, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thanks. I remodeled it a few years ago. Wanna see the rest of it?"

She nodded and let him lead her through the rest of the house.

He didn't show her every room because there were many. Knowing she will probably be here a lot from here on out, he had plenty of time to show her the rest later. Although, he did hope to show her one more room tonight. Over the last month, he has stayed at her house quite a bit and has gotten used to sleeping with her in his arms. But her bed isn't as comfortable as his so he'd like to sleep here more. It's also been a few days since they last had sex because she's been exhausted from working double shifts. Which isn't a problem because he's not with her just for sex. His feelings for her are a lot deeper than that, but a good relationship includes both an emotional and physical connection.

Leading her back to the kitchen, he pulled a stool from the island out and offered her a seat. Smiling, she sat down and placed her purse on the counter.

"Would you like something to drink?" He walked behind the island and to the stainless steel fridge, waiting for her answer.

"Water would be great, thanks." She watched as he opened one of the refrigerator doors and grabbed both of them a bottle of water. He walked back around the island and sat down on the stool next to hers and handed her one of the bottles.

"There you go." Hearing his cell phone beep, he pulled it out of the holder on the side of his jeans and opened the text message. He laughed and shook his head. "They're going to be here in about an hour and want to know what we want from San Pedro's. Mexican food okay with you?"

"Sounds great." She gave him her order and he sent a message back to them.

The hour went by fast, as they spent it watching TV and just relaxing with each other. The sound of a car door slamming outside told them they were finally there. Paul got up from the coach and helped them carry the food inside. Once everyone was somewhat settled, he introduced everyone."Stephanie, this is Trish and her boyfriend Chris. Trish and Chris, this is my girlfriend Stephanie." All three of them shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Looking at Trish and Chris, Stephanie thought they made a really cute couple. Trish was blonde, kind of short, skinny, and had a very big chest. Chris was a little bit taller than Trish, had blonde hair, and a body of someone who worked out. He didn't look like Paul by any means, but you could still tell he was made of muscle.

They all gathered around the in-table in the living room and watched TV as they ate. The food was great and they casually talked, getting to know each other. When they were done eating, Paul and Steph picked up the trash and took it into the kitchen to throw everything away.

Once they were out of ear shot, Chris took the opportunity to ask Trish what she thought. "So what do you think of her?"

Trish shrugged and glanced in their direction to make sure they were still in the kitchen. "She's pretty, but she just doesn't seem like his type."

Chris raised an eye brow. He thought she was very pretty. Long legs, nice rack, skinny, pretty face, and a great ass. Her personality seemed to fit Paul's pretty good from what he gathered from their conversation. "Why is that?"

Trish shrugged again. "I'm not sure. There's just something about her but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Chris looked her in the eye. "Are you worried?"

Nodding, Trish glanced in the direction of the kitchen again. "He doesn't usually bring anyone home, much less have them meet me. I can tell he really likes her."

Paul and Steph walked back into the living room, cutting the conversation short. "So you guys hitting any parties tonight?"

Chris laughed. "Of course. It's a Saturday night. You guys wanna come?"

Paul looked at Steph to see if she was interested. "Wanna go?"

Steph thought about it. She liked going out, but she'd hoped to spend some alone time with Paul tonight. They haven't had sex in a few days since she's been exhausted from working a lot. Paul was really nice and respectful about it and didn't seem to mind, but she really didn't want to wait any longer and had a good idea he didn't either. She didn't want work to interfere in her relationship anymore which is why she decided to ask for a raise on Wednesday, since that marks a year of employment for her. Hopefully, she can get a raise and not have to work quite as much to pay all of her bills. Deciding on her answer she shook her head. "Not tonight. I'm kind of tired."

Not really wanting to go out either, he was happy with her answer, but a little disappointed too. He'd hoped she wouldn't be too tired tonight, but oh well. At least she's finally staying the night at his place. "You guys have fun. And take care of that wife of mine Chris."

They all laughed. "I will Paul. It was nice to meet you Steph." He stood up and waited for Trish to get done saying her goodbyes so they could head to the party.

After saying goodbye to Steph, she gave Paul a hug and then left with Chris.

Locking the door behind them, Paul turned everything off and led Stephanie to his bedroom. He opened the door and followed her inside, turning on the light.

His bedroom was big and surprisingly clean. She expected it to be a little messy, but was happy to see that it wasn't. He had a matching bedroom set with two dressers, a night stand, and a big king sized bed. His bed was against the far wall and a dresser was on each side of it, the bigger one having a mirror attached to it. Right next to her, was a pretty big flat screen TV attached to a glass TV stand, like the one in the living room, facing the bed. On the other side of the TV was a door that led to the adjourning bathroom. He had an enormous walk in closet to the left of his bed.

"What would you like to sleep in? A t-shirt and shorts, boxers, or sweats?" He waited for her reply as he stood by the small dresser.

"Just a big t-shirt please." She watched as he opened one of the dark brown drawers and pulled out a t-shirt.

Walking back over to her, he handed her the t-shirt. "I'll go get you one of the spare tooth brushes so you can brush your teeth. Need anything else, baby?"

She smiled at him. "Nope, that should do it, thanks."

He left the room and she changed into the t-shirt. After folding her jeans and shirt, she placed them on one of the dressers and tucked her bra and socks in between them. She turned to see Paul walking back into the room.

"Here you go. There's already tooth paste in there you can use." He noticed her confused look as he handed her the electric tooth brush. "Everything okay?"

Stephanie nodded. "I….um….don't know how to use this." She'd never seen an electric tooth brush before. Her tooth brushes were always the cheap, regular ones.

He laughed a little. "You just put the tooth paste on, wet it down with water, and then once you're ready to brush, just move this switch up and it will start. They work really good. When you're done, just leave it next to mine, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks." She went into the bathroom and spotted the tooth paste next to his electric tooth brush on the double sink counter. As she brushed her teeth, she looked around the bathroom. Along with the counter, there was a big shower with a glass door, a toilet, a silver rack for holding towels, a cupboard, and a big mirror above the counter. It had dark tile floors and an off shade of white for the walls. She finished brushing her teeth and set her brush next to his.

Walking back into the bedroom, she saw Paul stripping down to his boxers. Taking in his muscular body, she smiled. She was definitely happy with her decision to stay in tonight.

Paul tossed his clothes into the laundry hamper and made his way to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth. He gave Steph a kiss on the lips as he walked by her. "Go ahead and get in bed if you want. I'm going to brush my teeth real fast."

"Okay." Steph went to the left side of the bed and pulled back the dark red covers. She snuggled beneath them and waited for Paul. His bed was way more comfortable than hers and everything smelled like him.

After turning off the lights and shutting the door, Paul climbed into bed and turned on the TV. He picked a random channel and set the sleep timer. As he put the remote back on the night stand, he felt Stephanie cuddle into him. Snuggling with her, he kissed her forehead and tucked her hair behind her ear. A little surprised as she leaned up and kissed him, he placed his hands on her hips as she straddled him. "I thought you were tired?"

Shaking her head and smirking she kissed him again before answering. "Not really. Just didn't feel like going out tonight."

He grinned and rolled her onto her back. "Me either."


End file.
